Safeway goes upscale

We have two Safeway stores in our area and both have remodeled. The produce section looks more like a Trader Joe’s with fancy farm boxes filled with goodies. All sorts of new produce, such as bags of purple potatoes, unusual fruits, all types of greens, hot house heirloom tomatoes, and I understand they are going to have a fresh olive area.
I only had a quick run through the store today, but it looked great and I saw many new products on the shelves. A new addition is a butcher shop type meat counter and fresh fish addition. This will be a welcomed feature for me.

[James Roscoe]

We have two Safeway stores in our area and both have remodeled. The produce section looks more like a Trader Joe’s with fancy farm boxes filled with goodies. All sorts of new produce, such as bags of purple potatoes, unusual fruits, all types of greens, hot house heirloom tomatoes, and I understand they are going to have a fresh olive area.
I only had a quick run through the store today, but it looked great and I saw many new products on the shelves. A new addition is a butcher shop type meat counter and fresh fish addition. This will be a welcomed feature for me.

Our new Safeway in the Bowie, MD area is exactly the same. It is a bi-coastal phenomenon. The prices are good and the deli sandwiches are actually outstanding! Go figure.

They did that facelift here, too. Everything is farther apart, more islands, and dimmer lighting. Same mediocre-to-poor produce at high prices. The olive stand has nothing more exotic than Kalamata. I still can't get basic stuff like arugula or fresh peas, though they have (to their credit) started carrying the very good fresh mozzarella made in our town's industrial park.

[James Roscoe]

They did that facelift here, too. Everything is farther apart, more islands, and dimmer lighting. Same mediocre-to-poor produce at high prices. The olive stand has nothing more exotic than Kalamata. I still can't get basic stuff like arugula or fresh peas, though they have (to their credit) started carrying the very good fresh mozzarella made in our town's industrial park.

Quit your bit#### and just relax.

Sorry to rant, it just pisses me off that I have to drive a minimum of 50 miles in heavy traffic to do basic grocery shopping. Safeway's store here (in a fairly upscale community) has always been a joke, tiny and ill-stocked, so the makeover was particularly ridiculous, truly lipstick on a pig. If I drive over to Vallejo or American Canyon (both pretty slummy places), the Safeways are three time bigger and much better stocked. (scratches head in puzzlement)

Well, at least the farm stands are starting to open... It's still 30-40 miles of driving, but a much more pleasant experience.

[Jenise]

Stuart,

It's so hard to imagine your predicament in Napa Valley of all places. Don't you have a store there called Nob Hill, or is it Nugget? I've heard good things both.

Safeway is the predominant chain in Canada, but not on our side of the border in this area. There's just one, and it's over in Lynden, a Dutch community (it's so Dutch the Mexican restaurants put cole slaw on all the combination plates). Now the Dutch aren't exactly known for their adventurous eating, and the Safeway reflects that. You can get any vegetable you want as long as it's cabbage or brussels sprouts.

My office is in the Napa Airport complex. Home is about 15 miles away in Benicia.

Nob Hill is basically Raleys, which is indistinguishable from Safeway. The closest one is about 15 miles each way, plus a bridge traffic jam and a $4 toll for shopping that's not great. If I've got to cross the bridges, I'm going the extra 10-15 miles to Berkeley Bowl or 99 Ranch, where I can find such exotic fare as, oh, peas.

Vallergas in Napa is better than Nob Hill, sort of a slummy smaller version of Whole Foods, but with prices just as high, if not even a bit higher.

Nugget is a bit nicer than Whole Foods, but is a 60 mile round trip.

Nope, I'm gonna look on the bright side and eagerly anticipate the reopening of Larry's and Parker Farms out in Fairfield. Superb produce, local and cheap.

My office is in the Napa Airport complex. Home is about 15 miles away in Benicia.

Nob Hill is basically Raleys, which is indistinguishable from Safeway. The closest one is about 15 miles each way, plus a bridge traffic jam and a $4 toll for shopping that's not great. If I've got to cross the bridges, I'm going the extra 10-15 miles to Berkeley Bowl or 99 Ranch, where I can find such exotic fare as, oh, peas.

Vallergas in Napa is better than Nob Hill, sort of a slummy smaller version of Whole Foods, but with prices just as high, if not even a bit higher.

Nugget is a bit nicer than Whole Foods, but is a 60 mile round trip.

Nope, I'm gonna look on the bright side and eagerly anticipate the reopening of Larry's and Parker Farms out in Fairfield. Superb produce, local and cheap.

I have got to agree with you. We live in the Land o' Milk 'n Honey for produce and generally only get expensive crap in the usual grocery stores. It's weird. Safeway, Albertson's, Nob Hill, Raley's, Lucky's are all the same vielle merde. I mean does putting a Starbuck's into your store improve the products? I think I told you that I go to this Asian place on Concord Ave. near CostCo in Pleasant Hill when I want down-to-earth produce. The Afghan store with its plethora of Middle Eastern breads is just around the corner. Lunardi's has got some decent stuff, too. And I'm too lazy to drive to Berkeley. They got rid of the Andronico's in Walnut Creek. How about Sunshine Foods in St. Helena? I stop in there once in a while for a sandwich when I'm lost.

Country Market, must be. Yes, sort of a 99 Ranch Lite. I shop there pretty often.

Country Market, must be. Yes, sort of a 99 Ranch Lite. I shop there pretty often.

I don't know what you're thinkin', but I think you're thinkin' the Vietnamese place on Contra Costa Blvd. near Target and Pep Boys. The place I mean is on Monument Blvd. just east of Detroit Ave., i.e. right after CostCo. Next time you're down there, give me a buzz. I'm only five minutes away. And thanks. I was wondering what I was going to do for lunch. Maybe some late dim sum ... ?

Yes, that's the one I was talking about, the one near Target.

I'll be down next week sometime- I'll call ya in advance. I'd love to try that other place.

[Jenise]

The closest one is about 15 miles each way

Ah, I see. I thought you lived in Napa town proper, that's why I was so confused. But instead you're in the same kind of no man's land that I am, and I have a border instead of a bridge which makes us just about dead even.

There's a new store about to open that's six miles away, and which will be a sister store to one in Santa Barbara that consists of a bunch of high end small boutique-like vendors. They're already a year late opening, but we're all hoping patience wins out. Can't wait to tell the local grocers who didn't think our little town of about 9,000 deserved it's own market where to get off.

Yes, that's the one I was talking about, the one near Target.

I'll be down next week sometime- I'll call ya in advance. I'd ltourove to try that other place.

¡Bueno! Monday is major doctor day, but other than that I'm fairly wide open except for Zari's sister and brother-in-law's being in from Iran. I see tour guide in my tea leaves.

Stuart, you have a Trader Joe's there......I would think they would carry your peas. What about Oakville Grocery?

Trader Joe's in Napa is a pretty good one, but it's on the far end, so a 50 mile round trip. No peas, either.

Oakville Grocery is a great place for tourists with LOTS of money. Dean & Deluca is even nicer and even more pricey. But again, these are a looooooong haul; that much driving, it's worth the trip down to Berkeley to the Finest Grocery Store In The World (and they have peas!). So close and yet so far...

OK, that's the last straw! I hadn't been to our local remodeled Safeway in a month or so, but I'm working at home today and got a hankering for chilaquiles. Now this is California and the agricultural part at that, so Mexican food is pretty much a staple here; while I don't expect to find epazote, I do expect basic ingredients. So I figured a quick run to Safeway would get me what I needed to do a basic dish.

No chipotle of any sort, canned or dry.

No tomatillo.

No queso fresco, queso anejo, queso seco or any other sort of Mexican cheese.

No El Pato salsas.

No tostadas caseras.

No chiles except Anaheim.

I talked with their floor manager who told me that when they remodeled and put in the coffee bar and "organics," they took out most of their lines of Asian and Mexican food. He laughed at the idea of actually carrying arugula.

I can't believe they would take out the Asian and Mexican foods....what are they thinking? I don't believe ours here have done that because we do have those populations. I did find one thing I already don't like. The lemons are in wooden boxes, nestled in some sort of fake straw. Since the boxes are standing upright, and the lemons are lined up from bottom to top, one should take the top lemon of the row. No.....I wanted the one on the bottom, pulled it out and down came the row of lemons all over the floor. Stupid marketing, it looks pretty, but don't expect me to take the top lemon if the one on the bottom is fatter and better looking!

It seems strange to me that the area you are shopping in has a lack of food items you are looking for. Is that not the land of foodies?

OK, that's the last straw!

You really need to head down Monument Blvd. to hit the Mexican Supermercado, the Super Teheran, the Afghan Bread Market, and Concord Produce and, oh yeah, the Polish/German Delikateski.

Interesting, though, the Albertson's on Arnold Dr. in Martinez usually has six or seven different types of chile peppers, all the fresh fixin's for pico de gallo etc. It'll change, though. They just got bought out by Lucky's, I think.

Karen, it's exceeding strange to me, too. We have a very large Hispanic and Filipino population here, and a growing number of Indians. Not very many Jews, but there's still a Kosher food section...

Gary, it's amazing how much better things get when I cross that damn bridge.